System and method for detecting the presence of alternate cooling systems

ABSTRACT

An information handling system includes a plurality of components, and a controller. The controller determines a separate thermal resistance for each of the components, categorizes each component into one of a plurality of cooling domains based on the thermal resistance of the component and an amount of air flow around the component, and adjusts cooling controls for each of the components based on the respective cooling domain of the component.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to system and method fordetecting the presence of alternate cooling systems.

BACKGROUND

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individualsand businesses seek additional ways to process and store information.One option is an information handling system. An information handlingsystem generally processes, compiles, stores, or communicatesinformation or data for business, personal, or other purposes.Technology and information handling needs and requirements can varybetween different applications. Thus information handling systems canalso vary regarding what information is handled, how the information ishandled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, andhow quickly and efficiently the information can be processed, stored, orcommunicated. The variations in information handling systems allowinformation handling systems to be general or configured for a specificuser or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airlinereservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. Inaddition, information handling systems can include a variety of hardwareand software resources that can be configured to process, store, andcommunicate information and can include one or more computer systems,graphics interface systems, data storage systems, networking systems,and mobile communication systems. Information handling systems can alsoimplement various virtualized architectures. Data and voicecommunications among information handling systems may be via networksthat are wired, wireless, or some combination.

Information handling systems, such as servers, can have multiple coolingmethods. For example, air or liquid may be circulated through a server,or the entire server may be immersed in a liquid for cooling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,elements illustrated in the Figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.For example, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated relativeto other elements. Embodiments incorporating teachings of the presentdisclosure are shown and described with respect to the drawings herein,in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information handling system;

FIGS. 2-4 are graphs representing different cooling profiles forcomponents in the information handling system;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an alternate embodiment of the informationhandling system; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method for detecting the presence ofalternate cooling systems.

The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicatessimilar or identical items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description in combination with the Figures is provided toassist in understanding the teachings disclosed herein. The descriptionis focused on specific implementations and embodiments of the teachings,and is provided to assist in describing the teachings. This focus shouldnot be interpreted as a limitation on the scope or applicability of theteachings.

FIG. 1 shows an information handling system such as a server 100. Forpurposes of this disclosure, an information handling system can includeany instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable tocompute, calculate, determine, classify, process, transmit, receive,retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, communicate, manifest,detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information,intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or otherpurposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personalcomputer (e.g., desktop or laptop), tablet computer, mobile device(e.g., personal digital assistant (PDA) or smart phone), server (e.g.,blade server or rack server), a network storage device, or any othersuitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality,and price. The information handling system may include random accessmemory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a centralprocessing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/orother types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of theinformation handling system may include one or more disk drives, one ormore network ports for communicating with external devices as well asvarious input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse,touchscreen and/or a video display. The information handling system mayalso include one or more buses operable to transmit communicationsbetween the various hardware components.

The server 100 includes a controller 102, components 104, 106, and 108,temperature sensors 110, 112, 114, and 116, power sensors 113, 115, and117, and cooling devices 118, 120, 122, and 124. The controller 102 isin communication with each of the components 104-108. The controller 102is also in communication with each of the temperature sensors 110-116,and can receive temperature values from the temperature sensors. Thecontroller 102 is in communication with each of the power sensors 113,115, and 117, and can receive power readings of the components from thepower sensors. The controller 102 is in communication with each of thecooling devices 118-124, and can set cooling controls for the coolingdevices.

In an embodiment the controller 102 can be any type of controller, suchas an integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) or anothersimilar systems management engine. The controller 122 can have aprocessor 130, a memory 132, a battery, a network connection, and accessto a server chassis bus 134. The controller 122 can provide differentfunctions for the server 100, such as power management, cooling devicecontrol, virtual media access, and remote console capabilities. In anembodiment, the components 104-108 can be any combination of memorydevices, processors, or the like.

During operation, the controller 102 can receive different valuesrepresenting temperatures within the server 100 from the temperaturesensors 110-116. The controller 102 can associate each of the each ofthe temperature values with a corresponding location within the server100 based on the temperature sensor 110, 112, 114, or 116 that providedthe temperature value. For example, the controller 102 can identify thattemperature values received from temperature sensor 110 are ambienttemperatures within the server 100. In an embodiment, the temperaturesensor 110 can be positioned away from the components 104-108, such thatthe temperature detected by the temperature sensor is for an air inlet,air intake, or inlet ambient temperate for the server 100 without beingoverly influenced by any particular component.

The controller 102 can also distinguish between the other temperaturesensors 112, 114, and 116, and can associate each temperature sensorwith a particular component. For example, the controller 102 canidentify that any temperature values received from temperature sensor112 are associated with component 104. Similarly, the controller 102 canidentify that any temperature values received from temperature sensor114 are associated with component 106, and that any temperature valuesreceived from temperature sensor 116 are associated with component 108.

The controller 102 can receive power readings, such as how many Watts,Volts, or Amperes a particular component, such as components 104, 106,or 108, is using at any given point in time from its corresponding powersensor. The controller 102 can then utilize the temperature valuesreceived from each of the temperature sensors 110-116 and the powerreadings from power sensors 113, 115, and 17 to calculate a thermalresistance for each component. In an embodiment, the thermal resistancefor a component is calculated by a temperature value difference betweenthe temperature of the component and the ambient temperate, in Celsius,divided by the power reading, in Watts, as shown in equation 1 below:

${{Thermal}\mspace{14mu}{{Resistance}_{Component}\left( R_{T} \right)}} = \frac{\left( {{{Temperature}_{Component}(C)} - {{Temperature}_{Ambient}(C)}} \right)}{{Power}_{Component}(W)}$

The controller 102 can then store the thermal resistance for eachcomponent in memory 132 of the controller. The controller 102 canreceive a fan speed or air flow of each of the fans 118, 122, and 124,and can have previously associated each of the fans with a correspondingcomponent 104, 106, or 108. The controller 102 can then compare thecalculated thermal resistance versus air flow for a particular componentwith stored threshold values of thermal resistance versus air flow fordifferent cooling domains of the information handling system 100. In anembodiment, the threshold values can be stored in a firmware tablewithin memory 132. In another embodiment, the firmware table can belocated within a memory located separate from the controller 102 or thelike. The controller 102 determines a cooling domain for each of thecomponents 104, 106, and 108, and the determined cooling domain can thenbe stored within memory 132 of the controller. For clarity, the coolingdomains and mapping of the components to different cooling domains aregraphically shown in FIG. 2-4.

FIG. 2 shows a graphical representation of the components 104, 106, and108 being placed with one of the different cooling domains of theinformation handling system 100. The graph includes three differentdomains or regions: a failure domain 202; an air cooled domain 204; anda liquid cooled domain 206. If the controller 102 determines that acomponent is located with the failure domain 202, the controller canprovide a signal to the component, via bus 134, to shut down thatcomponent. In an embodiment, the controller 102 can determine that eachof the components 104, 106, and 108 are located within the air cooleddomain 204, as indicated by respective points 210, 212, and 214 in FIG.2.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the controller 102 cancontinue normal fan control of each of the fans 118, 122, and 124, andcan maintain air cooled power capping limits on the components 104, 106,and 108. The controller 102 can maintain these settings to prevent thecomponents 104, 106, and 108 from over-heating during operation of theserver 100. In another embodiment, one of the components 104, 106, or108 can be mapped to a different cooling domain than the other twocomponents as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 shows a graphical representation of the different coolingdomains: a failure domain 302; an air cooled domain 304; and a liquidcooled domain 306. In this embodiment, the controller 102 can determine,based on the thermal resistance comparison described above, that thecomponents 104 and 108 are located within the air cooled domain 304, asindicated by respective points 310 and 314, that the component 106 islocated within the liquid cooled domain 306, as indicated by point 312,and that none of the components are located within the failure domain302. Based on the determined cooling domains of the components, thecontroller 102 can detect that direct-to-chip liquid cooling is beingimplemented for the component 106. This determination can be made inresponse to component 106 being the only component located within theliquid cooled domain 306 while components 104 and 108 are located withinthe air cooled domain 304.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the component 106 is in physical communicationwith liquid cooling device 120. The thermal resistance of the component106, when cooled by the liquid cooling device 120, can be lower at aparticular fan speed as compared to the thermal resistance of thecomponent at the same fan speed but without the liquid cooling devicebeing utilized as a cooling device for the component. In the embodimentrepresented in FIG. 3, the controller 106 can continue normal fancontrol of both of the fans 118 and 124, and can maintain air cooledpower capping limits on the components 104 and 108. However, thecontroller 106 can disable the fan controls and fan failure warnings forfan 122, and can adjust the power capping limit for component 106. Forexample, the controller 102 can communicate with fan 122 and can reducethe fan speed or can completely turn off the fan, because the liquidcooling device 120 can provide the proper heat dissipation for thecomponent.

In an embodiment, when a component is within the liquid cooled domain,the associated fan can be removed from the information handling system100 so that additional space for other components can be made within theinformation handling system, to save cost within the informationhandling system, to reduce power, or the like. The controller 102 canalso disable the fan failure warnings for fan 122 so that when the fanspeed drops below a threshold fan speed, the component 106 is not eitherflag for possible over-heating, reduced in power, or the like. Thecontroller 106 can also reallocate power from the fan 122 to thecomponent 106 to increase the power capping limit for the component. Inan embodiment, the power capping limits for the component can also beincrease to allow the component to draw more power because of theincreased cooling capability of the liquid cooling device 120 can enablethe additional heat generated by the consumption of the additional powerto be removed from the component 106. Thus, the controller 102 canindividually change cooling control settings based on the respectivecooling domain for each component. In another embodiment, all of thecomponents 104, 106, and 108 can be mapped to the liquid cooled domainas shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 shows a graphical representation of the different coolingdomains: a failure domain 402; an air cooled domain 404; and a liquidcooled domain 406. In this embodiment, the controller 102 can determine,based on the thermal resistance comparison described above, that all ofthe components 104, 106, and 108 are located within the liquid cooleddomain 406, as indicated by respective points 410, 412, and 414. Thecontroller 102 can also determine that none of the components arelocated within either the failure domain 402 or the air cooled domain404. Based on the determination that all of the components 104, 106, and108 are within the liquid cooled domain 406, the controller 102 candetect that either the server 100 is utilizing immersion cooling, thatdirect-to-chip liquid cooling is being implemented for each of thecomponents, or the like.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in this embodiment, each of the components104, 106, and 108 can in physical communication with a liquid coolingdevice, such as liquid cooling device 120, which can decrease thethermal resistance of the components without having to increase fanspeeds. In another embodiment, the entire server 100 can be cooled usinga liquid immersion. In this embodiment, all of the components 104, 106,and 108 can be cooled by being placed in a thermally, but notelectrically, conductive liquid. In different embodiments, the liquidcould be a transformer oil, another specialty electrical cooling oil, acooking oil, a motor oil, a silicone oil, or the like

For either type of liquid cooling, such as immersion or direct-to-chip,the controller 102 can disable the fan controls and fan failure warningsfor fans 118, 122, and 124, and can adjust the power capping limits forcomponents 104, 106, and 108. For example, the controller 102 candisable the fan failure warnings for fans 118, 122, and 124. Thecontroller 102 can then communicate with the fans 118, 122, and 124, andcan either reduce the fan speeds or can completely turn off the fans,because the liquid cooling can provide the proper heat dissipation forthe components. The controller 102 can also reallocate power from thefans 118, 122, and 124 to the components 104, 106, and 108 to increasethe power capping limits for the components.

Thus, the controller 102 can determine different cooling domains for thecomponents 104, 106, and 108 based on calculated thermal resistances ofthe components, and can then adjust, if needed, the cooling controlsettings for the components based on the determined cooling domain.

In the foregoing description, the disclosure has been described withreference to specific examples of an embodiment. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereinwithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure asset forth in the appended claims. For example, in the above discussion,the information handling system 100 was described as being a singleserver. As such, the controller 102 implements the cooling controls foreach component within the server. In an alternate embodiment however, asillustrated in FIG. 5, the information handling system 500 can be aserver chassis. In such a configuration, the server chassis 500 wouldinclude a chassis management controller 502 that is in communicationwith controllers 504, 506, and 508 within respective servers 510, 512,and 514 to receive thermal resistances for components within each of theservers.

For example, the controller 504 can determine the thermal resistance ofcomponent 520 based on a temperature value for the component receivedfrom temperature sensor 522 and the ambient temperature of the server510. The controller 504 can then provide the thermal resistance ofcomponent 520 to the chassis management controller 502. Similarly, thecontroller 506 can determine the thermal resistance of component 530based on a temperature value for the component received from temperaturesensor 532 and the ambient temperature of the server 512, and can thenprovide the thermal resistance of component 530 to the chassismanagement controller 502. The controller 508 can determine the thermalresistance of component 540 based on a temperature value for thecomponent received from temperature sensor 542 and the ambienttemperature of the server 514, and then provide the thermal resistanceof component 540 to the chassis management controller 502.

The chassis management controller 502 can receive the thermalresistances from each of the controllers 504, 506, and 508, and canadjust the cooling control settings either on a server-by-server basisor on a server chassis level. For example, if a portion of thecontrollers 504, 506, or 508 provide thermal resistances indicating aliquid cooling domain, the chassis management controller 502 can disablethe fan controls of a portion of fans 524, 534, and 544, disable fanfailure warnings the specific servers within the liquid cooling domain,and adjust the power capping limits for these servers in a substantiallysimilarly manner as described above for the controller 102 withininformation handling system 100.

FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram of a method 600 for determining coolingdomain for each of a plurality of components within an informationhandling system. At block 602, temperatures, power readings, and fanspeeds are read at different locations of the information handlingsystem. In an embodiment, the information handling system can includemultiple components and a temperature, power reading, and fan speed isread individual for each component within the information handlingsystem. A thermal resistance is computed for each component at block604. In an embodiment, the thermal resistance is based on thetemperature of a component minus an ambient temperature of the server,and the resulting temperature value is then divided by a power readingof the component. At block 606, threshold values for thermal resistancesversus amounts of air flow for different cooling domains are read. In anembodiment, the threshold values are read from a firmware table.

At block 608, the thermal resistance values for the components arecompared to the threshold values to determine a cooling domain for eachof the components. The flow then continues at block 610, and adetermination is made whether all of the components are within an aircooled domain. If all of the components are within the air cooleddomain, the flow proceeds to block 612 and normal fan control and aircooled power capping limits of the components are enabled. Otherwise,the flow proceeds to block 614 and a determination is made whether allof the components are within a liquid cooled domain. If all of thecomponent are within the liquid cooled domain, fan controls and fanfailure warnings are disabled for the components, and power cappinglimits for the components are adjusted for liquid immersion ordirect-to-chip liquid cooling at block 616. However, if all of thecomponents are not within the liquid cooled domain, fan controls and fanfailure warnings are disabled only for the specific components mappedwithin the liquid cooling domain, and power capping limits for thesecomponents are also adjusted at block 618.

Although only a few exemplary embodiments have been described in detailherein, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that manymodifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments withoutmaterially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of theembodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, all suchmodifications are intended to be included within the scope of theembodiments of the present disclosure as defined in the followingclaims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to coverthe structures described herein as performing the recited function andnot only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures.

The term “program,” as used herein, is defined as a sequence ofinstructions designed for execution on a computer system. A program, orcomputer program, may include a subroutine, a function, a procedure, anobject method, an object implementation, an executable application, anapplet, a servlet, a source code, an object code, a sharedlibrary/dynamic load library and/or other sequence of instructionsdesigned for execution on a computer system. This program can be storedwithin a memory, or computer-readable medium, that can be read by aprocessor of the computer system or information handling system.

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover any andall such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments that fallwithin the scope of the present invention. Thus, to the maximum extentallowed by law, the scope of the present invention is to be determinedby the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims andtheir equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by theforegoing detailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information handling system comprising: aplurality of components; and a controller to communicate with each ofthe components, wherein the controller calculates a separate thermalresistance for each of the components, categorizes each component intoone of a plurality of cooling domains based on the thermal resistance ofthe component and an amount of air flow around the component, whereinthe cooling domains include an air cooled domain and a liquid cooleddomain, and adjusts cooling controls for each of the components based onthe respective cooling domain of the component, and reallocates powerfrom a fan for a component to the component in response to the componentbeing in a liquid cooled domain.
 2. The information handling system ofclaim 1, further comprising: a temperature sensor associated with afirst one of the components, the temperature sensor to provide atemperature value of the first component to the controller, wherein thecontroller determines a first thermal resistance of the first componentbased on the temperature value received from the temperature sensor. 3.The information handling system of claim 1, further comprising: a fanassociated with the first component, the controller to determine thatthe first component is in the liquid cooling domain, and to disable afan speed control of the fan in response to the first component being inthe liquid cooling domain.
 4. The information handling system of claim1, the controller to determine that each of the components is within theair cooled domain, and to implement an air cooled cooling controlsettings for the information handling system in response to each of thecomponents being within the air cooled domain.
 5. The informationhandling system of claim 1, the controller to determine that a firstportion of components are within a liquid cooled domain, to disable fancontrols and fan failure warnings for the first portion of thecomponents in response to the first portion of components being withinthe liquid cooled domain, and to adjust power capping limits for thefirst portion components in response to the first portion of componentsbeing within the liquid cooled domain.
 6. The information handlingsystem of claim 5, wherein the first portion of components includes allof the components in response to the all of the components being withina liquid cooled domain.
 7. The information handling system of claim 5,wherein the first portion of components includes a subset of thecomponents in response to only the first portion of components beingwithin a liquid cooled domain.
 8. A method comprising: calculating arespective thermal resistance value of each of a plurality ofcomponents; receiving air flow of each fan associated with each of thecomponents; determining, by a processor, a cooling domain for each ofthe components based on the respective thermal resistance value of eachof the components, wherein the cooling domain is selected from an aircooled domain and a liquid cooled domain; comparing the calculatedrespective thermal resistance value verses the associated air flow foreach of the components with stored threshold thermal resistance valuesversus air flow for the air cooled domain; determining whether all ofthe components are within the air cooled domain based on the comparisonof the calculated respective thermal resistance value verses theassociated air flow for each of the components with the stored thresholdthermal resistance values versus air flow for the air cooled domain; andif all of the components are within the air cooled domain, enabling, bythe processor, normal fan control and air cooled power capping limitsfor the components, otherwise disabling fan controls and fan failurewarnings for a first portion of the components, adjusting power cappinglimits for the first portion components, and reallocating power fromfans for the first portion of components to the first portion ofcomponents.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first portion ofcomponents includes all of the components in response to the all of thecomponents being within the liquid cooled domain.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein all of the components are cooled via liquid immersionwhen all of the components are in the liquid cooled domain.
 11. Themethod of claim 9, wherein all of the components are cooled viadirect-to-chip liquid cooling when all of the components are in theliquid cooled domain.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the firstportion of components includes a subset of the components in response toonly the first portion of components being within a liquid cooleddomain.
 13. The method of claim 8, further comprising: reading atemperature, a power reading, and a fan speed for each individualcomponent within the information handling system.
 14. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the thermal resistance is based on the temperature of acomponent.
 15. The method of claim 8, wherein threshold values for thethermal resistance of the components are read from a firmware table, andthe threshold values are utilized in the determining of the coolingdomains.
 16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a setof instructions, the set of instructions when executed by a processorcause the processor to: determine a cooling domain for a first componentof an information handling system based on a first thermal resistancevalue for the first component; determine whether the first component iswithin an air cooled domain; and if the first component is within theair cooled domain, enable normal fan control and air cooled powercapping limit for the first component, otherwise disable the fancontrols and the fan failure warnings for the first component, adjustthe power capping limit for the first component, and reallocate powerfrom a fan for the first component to the first component.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein theinstruction further cause the processor to: determine a cooling domainfor a second component of the information handling system based a secondthermal resistance value of the second component; determine whether thesecond component is within the air cooled domain; and if the secondcomponent is within the air cooled domain, enable normal fan control andair cooled power capping limit for the second component, otherwisedisable the fan controls and the fan failure warnings for the secondcomponent and adjust the power capping limit for the second component.18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein theinstruction further cause the processor to: reading threshold values forthermal resistances versus fan speed for different cooling domains ofthe information handling system, wherein the threshold values areutilized in the determining of the cooling domain of the firstcomponent.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18,wherein the threshold values are read from a firmware table.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein theinstruction further cause the processor to: determine that the firstcomponent is in a liquid cooled domain prior to disabling the fancontrols and the fan failure warnings for the first component andadjusting the power capping limit for the first component.